Cancer is a major public health problem. One in four deaths in the United States is due to cancer, and the lifetime probability of being diagnosed with an invasive cancer is approximately 40%. Siegel et al., CA Cancer J. Clin. 62:10-29 (2012). An estimated 500,000 Americans die from cancer each year (Siegel et al., CA Cancer J. Clin. 62:10-29 (2012)). Lack of specificity of conventional chemotherapies and consequent side effects limit the delivery of drug dosages needed to eliminate the majority of cancer cells.
Laminin proteins containing the laminin α4 chain have been reported to be expressed in some types of cancer. Syndecans, which are reported binding partners of laminin α4, have also been reported to be expressed in some types of cancer.